Suharto casts vote in historic poll

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Indonesia's military past has come to face-to-face with its democratic future as more than 100 million voters go to the polls for the country's first ever presidential election.

The former dictator Suharto, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 32-years, voted a short time ago near his plush residence in Central Jakarta.

The reclusive Suharto, reputedly the world's richest and most corrupt leader in modern history, arrived in a blue van but was tight lipped about who he intended to vote for.

In a significant hangover from the past, the former dictator was still listed as the number one voter on his district's electoral roll.

The 82-year-old who has escaped trial for corruption on the grounds he is too frail, looked healthy as he walked largely unaided to the aluminium voting booth in his street watched by almost 100 journalists. He was helped only by his daughter and failed presidential candidate Tutut.

She also refused to reveal who Indonesia's most powerful family backed, saying only: "It's my secret."

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Former Suharto-era general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to win today's vote, with recent polls showing he has the backing of more than half Indonesia's 153 million eligible voters.

But it is doubtful the man known as SBY will be able to secure an outright victory and most analysts expect the presidential vote to go to a run-off between the two top candidates in late September.